This invention relates to cartridged ammunition, in particular practice ammunition for a grenade pistol or the like, for example with a 40 mm caliber.
The invention starts out from ammunition according to the applicant's EP-B-0215042. The projectile received in a cartridge case has a smoke charge as a service charge and carries a tracer composition at the rear. The cartridge case has an ignition charge and a propelling charge ignited thereby for expelling the projectile from the cartridge case. The propelling charge is received in a cartridge located centrally in the cartridge case and forming a high-pressure space. The cartridge is surrounded by a low-pressure space which is further limited by the inside walls of the cartridge case and a part of the projectile base and is connected with the high-pressure space via tamped overflow openings. Further, the upper closing wall of the cartridge has a small igniting channel opening into the tracer composition disposed at the rear of the projectile. The projectile is connected with the cartridge which has a rated breaking point below the connecting point.
When the propelling charge is ignited via the ignition charge a pressure builds up in the high-pressure space but does not suffice to burst the rated breaking point and expel the projectile. The tracer composition is ignited via the small igniting bore. As soon as the tamping between high-pressure space and low-pressure space breaks open, the propellant gases enter the low-pressure space via the overflow openings and act on the remaining part of the projectile base. When the pressures in the high-pressure and low-pressure spaces are high enough, the rated breaking point breaks open, thereby expelling the projectile from the cartridge case. The trajectory of the projectile is subsequently marked by the burning tracer composition.
The division of the pressure space for expelling the projectile into a high-pressure space and a low-pressure space causes the forces produced in the two pressure spaces cooperate in breaking open the rated breaking point between projectile and cartridge case, so that very high precision can be achieved with regard to the reproducibility of the initial velocity of the projectile and its range. This construction has proven its value thousands of times in practice, both as dummy ammunition for training purposes and as live ammunition.
In this known cartridged ammunition the tracer composition extends into the projectile body, so that the space thereof cannot be used for the service charge, whether a practice charge or a live charge.